94 Galant Oil Problem

[rodss67]

I have a 94 Galant ES with a 2.4 with 150,000 miles. When it sets at an idle for approx. 5 minutes it puffs out a plume of smoke when you take off. It then clears. The car just sat for 2 weeks and upon driving it for the first time, it smoked for about a quarter to a half of mile then cleared up. It uses about a quart every 1000 to 1200 miles. Does this sound like a valve guide problem or something from the lower end (rings etc). Is there a way to diagnose what the problem is? I have had valve guide problem before on another Mitsu but it was a V6. In advance, thanks for any help.

[gmech]

Performing a wet and dry compression test should reveal or rule out ring problems. I would first replace the PVC valve. If the crankcase pressure isn't venting properly, excess pressure will seep past the rings resulting in excessive oil burning in the cylinder chambers.

You may also want to try switching to a straight weight (SAE 30) or higher viscosity oil like 20w50. They tend not to thin out as bad and leak past the rings.

Changing the oil every 3K miles seems to help, but if neither of these solve the problem, try a bottle of Jones Motor Purr. It's by far the best smoke control remedy I've ever used and last at least 6 months. The clear gel-like substance is so thick it usually takes 10 to 15 minues to pour from a 12oz bottle. Using it also improved my compression as well, resulting in slight performance improvement.

Hope the info was helpful and good luck.